Baggage door lock



Sept. 8, 1936. D. E. AUSTIN BAGGAGE DOOR LOCK Filed Oct. 9, 1935 i il Patented Sept. 8, 1936 airco stares PATENT OFEHE BAGGAGE Doon LocK Application October 9, 1935, Serial No. 44,169

3 Claims.

IThis invention relates to motor vehicle body construction and more particularly to an improved closure retainer for the loading opening in the body side wall leading to the baggage compartment under the floor of the passenger space.

fin object of the invention is to provide a sturdily constructed mechanism, which comprisesl only a few simple parts for manufacture at small cost with no more than ordinary precision, and which is capable of exerting a powerful closing force and securely holding the door closed, so that the door combines with the body side wall to impart strenth to the whole, seals the interior against the entrance of dust and moisture and lies in a vertical plane of the body side wall to afford pleasing and smooth appearance without outwardly projecting handles or the like.

The invention will be best understood upon reference to the accompanying drawing wherein Figure l is a side elevation showing a vehicle to which the invention has been applied; Figure 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional View taken on line 2-2 of Figure l; Figure 3 is a transverse section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2 and Figure 4 shows in elevation a fragment of the latch as viewed in the direction of the arrows on line i-li of Figure 2.

The invention is shown in the drawing as applied to a passenger coach of a type recently introduced and provided with a row of passenger seats along each side wall and mounted on a floor which extends above the tops of the wheel housings with a depressed central corridor leading thereto from the loading platform adjacent the drivers position at the front of the vehicle. The space beneath the passenger compartment and between the front and rear wheels is utilized for the storage of handgrips, trunks or other luggage. To aiTord access to the baggage compartment each side wall is provided with a large loading opening which preferably is closed by a pair of vertically swinging hinged doors arranged side by side.

Vertical body posts are located at each side and at the middle of the opening and provide for the convenient fastening of the closed doors thereto. Each post is provided on its iront face with a channel to receive a sealing strip engageable by the margin of the door. Only the central post i is shown in detail in the drawing and this differs from the side posts only in that it is provided with two channels carrying rubber or other sealing strips 2 for sealing engagement with the adjacent ends of the pair of doors. The part to engage this sealing strip may consist of a lateral flange 3 formed as a part of the rearmost door panel 4 and spaced inwardly a slight distance from the edge of the forward door panel 5. The panel 5 preferably is in the form of a at sheet secured as by means of rivets 6 to the rim of the panel 4 which is preferably a sheet metal panshaped pressing. The two panels combine to acord a hollow door structure in which is enclosed and protected from injury the door latching mechanism located adjacent the lower or swinging edge of the door.

As a part of the door lock there is shown a xed bracket 'l riveted or otherwise secured interiorly and centrally of the front panel 5 with which cooperates a removable cap piece 8 `secured by bolts 9 and accessible through an inspection opening lll in the rear panel Li. Rotatably mounted in the bracket 'l is a worm i l and a gear l2 having their axes at right angles to each other. The opposite sides of the gear` i2 are provided with reduced extensions I3 and lli revolubly mounted within shouldered recesses of the bracket i and its cap piece 8. The extension lf3 has formed therein, inline with an opening l5 in the panel 5, a recess I6 squared or otherwise shaped to receive a correspondingly shaped key of a removable oprating handle, to be carried by the vehicle operator and preclude unauthorized access to the baggage compartment. The worm i l to be driven by the gear l2, has extending outwardly therefrom a pair of oppositely disposed extensions or sleeves I1 provided interiorly thereof with right and left-handed screw threads, respectively. Each sleeve I1 is threadedly engaged with an adjacent end of a reciprocating rod or link i8 which extends toward the side edge of the door lwhere its opposite end is secured by a pin I9 between a pair of ears 20 which together form one leg of a bell crank lever pivoted on a pin 2l which is carried by a fixed bracket 22 riveted or otherwise secured to the door panels. The other leg 23 of the bell crank lever is adapted to be swung outwardly through an opening in the panel lly into engagement with the rear face of one of the body posts upon proper manipulation of the worm and gear. 45

Upon insertion of the operating key into the recess l 5 the gear l2 may be rotated for actuating the worm l l. Through its threaded engagement with the rods I8 the rods are thus shifted axially to swing the bell crank levers in unison. Because of the threaded connection the bell crank arm 23 may be swung from the dotted line position shown in Figure 2 to the full line position illustrated, engaging the rear face of the body post and exerting a very powerful force to close the door tightly body Wall and a door for said opening, the combinati-on of a bracket mounted interiorly of the door, a gear and a Worm supported by said bracket in meshed engagement, said gear having a key engaging formation thereon in line with an opening in the door to receive a removable operating key, and said Worm having oppositely disposed axial extensions, a non-rotatable link threadedly engaged with each extension for the reciprocation thereof upon Worm rotation and a bell crank lever pivoted to the door with one arm joined to the link for moving the other arm into or out of door latching position.

2. In a motor vehicle body having a baggage compartment with a loading opening in the body Wall provided with a pair of doors for said opening arranged side by side, a body post extending across said opening at the adjacent sides of said doors and sealing means carried by the front face of the post for engagement by the doors and latch engaging surfaces on the rear face of said post, the combination of a bell crank lever pivoted interiorly of each door with one leg thereof adapted for engagement with said rear face of the post, an axially movable rod joined to the other arm 5 of the lever, a rotatable gear member threadedly engageable with said rod to shift the same, separable bracket sections mounted interiorly of the door for supporting sai-d member rotatably and a gear also supported rotatably in said bracket sections in operative engagement With said member, said gear having a key formation alined with an opening inthe door to receive a removable operating key.

3. In a motor vehicle body having a baggage compartment With a loading opening in the body Wall, and a closure door for the opening, the combination of a pair of relatively movable members located interiorly of the door and arranged end toend With the adjacent ends in threaded engagement, a movable latching device joined to the remote end of one of said members and adapted to hold said member against rotation,

means mounting the other member for rotation, Worm .gearing formations on the last mentioned member and driving means having Worm gearing formations in mating engagement with the Worm gearing formations on the rotatable member.

DWIGHT E. AUSTIN. 

